Wolak-Rodriquez enters the hat for Fight of the Year honours in a clash notable for an injury sustained by the Polish junior middleweight.

Pawel Wolak fought the last 5 rounds of his contest with Delvin Rodriguez unable to see much with a large haematoma over his eye.

Hasim Rahman’s memorable grotesque swelling from a clash of heads with Evander Holyfield sprung to mind at the sight of the Pole’s knotted forehead. Nevertheless, Wolak and Rodriguez continued & hammered out a highly competitive 10-round draw at the Roseland Ballroom in New York on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights in a contest likely to at least enter the FOY debate come December . Wolak received medical attention after being taken by ambulance to the hospital immediately after the judges’ decision had been announced.

“It was a war,” said promoter, Joe DeGuardia. “It was a real throwback fight.”